Staid Earth, Amicable Air
by Astrial Assailant
Summary: Part II! Katara believed that she could escape her Princess duties by fleeing with her new friend Aang, also known as the Avatar. But when Prince Zuko wages war on the Northern Water Tribe, Katara must pick between rightenousness and selfish desires.
1. Chapter 1

**Katara: I wonder if they even remember this…**

**Me: Shhhh, let's just surprise the fans of RIEW with the sequel! Don't say anything, got it?**

**Sokka: But it's been FOREVER! **

**Me: Exactly. I did have much planning, you know T^T**

**Aang: Well, if they really want a sequel, even if we have to start bottom-up, let's show them what we're made of :D**

**Gaang&Me: Yeah!**

**Hey, old friends! It's AA once more, and I will accept any yellings that might come my way. I know it's been forever since RIEW ended, and I just thought that maybe I could take a shot at making the supposed sequel. There are still many things that need to be discussed, explained…the usual! So, I hereby announce that **_**Staid Earth, Amicable Air **_**is now in the makings! I'm sorry if I made any of you upset with the yearly delay, but I'm back now and I really hope this will be as successful as the first one.**

**I recommend that any newcomers read RIEW first, but if they want a quick synopsis, message me! Also, I'd like to inform everyone that, since I'm older now, my writing has improved! I promise to actually read over everything so there will be little-to-no mistakes ^-^" I really apologize for THAT inconvenience.**

**Lastly, all I have to say is…**

_**Please read, review and Enjoy!**_

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" Sokka broke through the heavy silence and put both of his hands on his cheeks. "You're telling me that the Fire Nation knows that the Avatar is with us?"

Katara looked at the paper once more and closed her eyes slowly.

"I don't know, Sokka."

"Instead of freaking out, why don't we go ask someone about the supposed war?" Suki stepped from Sokka and held out her hand for the paper.

As she read it over, Sokka was sitting on the ground crying like an idiot, Toph was throwing rocks at him in an attempt to shut him up and Katara sat on the edge on the fountain and buried her face in her hands. One would have thought that the Fire Nation would have given up on finding the Avatar, but Zuko and his soldiers proved her wrong. They had to have known that she and Aang were in the same place.

But how? Why didn't they just come straight to them instead of attacking the heart of all Waterbenders? If Zuko was going to capture Princess Yue, that wasn't enough reason to attack them… It had to be something in the Northern Tribe that compelled the Fire Nation to it. But what was it? What in Roku's name was it?

Gold? _No… _Katara tried to think harder.

Weaponry? _That's not it._

Access to many other cities through the channels that surrounded the beautiful kingdom? _Oh, spirits… what is it?_

While Katara was beating herself up about the issue, Sokka was slumped against a tree, still bawling. Suki came to his side, the letter now folded in her pocket.

"Will you stop crying?" Suki stood before him, hands on her hips and eyes lidded. "For a mighty prince you sure do cry a lot."

"I do not!" Sokka wiped his runny nose with the back of his sleeve. "If I get a kiss from my Kyoshi Warrior, maybe I could man up…" he waggled his eyebrows.

"I'll pass." Suki turned her back to him, arms folded. "I'm not kissing someone who has boogers caked around his nose."

Sokka began to cry more and Suki covered her ears. Toph on the other hand, was standing next to Aang in front of a closed sushi stand. Aang's eyes were fixed on the ground and he let out an airy sigh.

"What's bothering you, TwinkleToes?" the blind Earthbender asked with much boredom in her voice. "I thought nothing could make you _this _worried."

The Avatar shook his head and looked at the dull sky. "It takes a lot to get me worried and all, but I'm not worried about the Fire Nation."

Toph raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought you'd be scared of getting caught and whatnot… but I can see that you don't even care about all of the people that'll die because of…Oooh, that's what it is…"

"Exactly." Aang pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm the Avatar, yet I'm sitting here cowering behind royals and a worshipper of Kyoshi. I should be the one crying and beating myself up, not Sokka or Katara." He then said lowly, "Especially not Katara…"

"You have a reason to be scared shitless, TwinkleToes." Toph stomped her foot into the ground, and up came a large boulder that she sat upon. "This will be your first fight with a wide-range Fire Nation army, right?"

Aang nodded briefly and rubbed his temples. "But it's not even that, Toph. I don't want to harm any more people than I have to. I lost contact with the spirits of earlier Avatars; I have no guide to help me in this. There's no instruction manual that tells me about the hidden powers that Avatars possess, there's no _one _that can show me how to access the Avatar State. And with such little time to spare, I can't even meditate for the answers."

Aang looked at Toph and sweatdropped when he saw here snoozing on her earthly bed. Instead of getting angry, he laughed and then looked at the ground.

_I need to contact the line of Avatars if I want to do something about the raid on the Northern Tribe… the more I sit here acting like I'm nothing, the more lives will be taken._

"But, Suki…." Sokka was holding on to the warrior's leg as she dragged him around in the dry dirt. "All I want is a kiss!"

Suki stopped near Katara and kicked Sokka off of her leg. "Will you stop making that kissy face? You look like a Sucker Fish!"

When Katara heard that, her head snapped up. With red-tinted eyes, Katara asked, no, _commanded _Suki to repeat what she just said. Suki looked at her with an awkward glance.

"Uh… I said your brother looks like a Sucker Fish…?"

"That's it!" Katara jumped up and gathered everyone's attention. "That's what the Fire Nation is after!"

Sokka was completely lost as well as everyone else. "They want to get fish to _make sushi out of our life-supply, OH NOOOOO! WE'LL BE STARVED!" _Again he began crying and claiming that they'll all be dead from the lack of food. Suki and Katara face palmed together.

"No, my dear brother," Katara took a few calming breaths and looked to Suki for help. "Suki, you know what I'm talking about, right?"

Suki cleared her throat and began to recite a section from her textbook when she was training to be a Kyoshi Warrior. "Tui and La, two spirit fish that hold the balance of the universe by swimming in a complete circle in their pond…"

"Well, that's just great!" Sokka yelled and stood up, flailing his arms. "They're gonna steal Yue's pet fish and burn the rest of ours!"

"No, you idiot!" Katara snapped and her palm contacted her face again. "If Tui or La is removed from the Spirit Oasis, don't you know what's going to happen?"

"…the water won't be…spiritish anymore…?"

Before Katara could strangle him, Aang butt in. "The balance of the world will be destroyed, which means the world will be corrupt. Am I right, Princess?" Aang's eyes met Katara's and the Waterbender blushed and turned from him.

"Y-Yeah… I couldn't have said it better myself…"

"And we know that the Northern Tribe has much respect for the spirits, considering the fact that Yue is only alive because of Tui…" Suki trailed off.

"So without Tui, will Yue die or anything?" Aang looked at Katara, and the princess shook her head.

"No, if Tui is eliminated, or even in harm's way, Arnook will give in to anything that Zuko or Ozai has in mind. He respects the spirits for the life that they had given Yue; it's only respectful that he keeps them safe."

"As soon as the Fire Nation shows hostility to the spirits, they know that they'll have the Northern Tribe eating out of their own hands…" Aang sighed and looked at Katara. "This really is not good."

"Well, this is just perfect." Suki plopped down on the ground as well and looked up at Aang and Katara. "We manage to escape the damn Fire Nation, but instead of making peace, we actually start a war! How on earth are we going to make it to the Northern Water Tribe if we're all the way in Omashu? It'll take a few weeks to get there before the war starts!"

"And with Appa needing to rest every once in a while, the trip may take longer than that…" Aang thought aloud and then a wide smile found his lips. "What if we… find the fastest transportation that only a _King _has?"

"A king?" Sokka chimed in. "The only king that I know here is… Oh, no you don't!" Sokka jumped to his feet and pointed to a large structure in the distance from their standpoint. "We are _not _going to talk to that wacko, King Bumi. I heard that he cooks residents alive!"

Katara then smacked Sokka in the back of his skull and pulled on his ear. "For one thing, don't be rude to the King! Secondly, Father only told you that because you said that 'you was so hungry you could eat someone' one day!"

Sokka yelped as he and Katara continued to bicker.

"King Bumi, huh?" Suki folded her arms and looked at Aang. "Aren't you only a teenager? How could you possibly know the King of Omashu?"

Aang removed his head covering and pointed to the cyan point of his arrow on his forehead. "I'm the Avatar, surely he knows some of my past lives…"

"Well, I heard that he's a total nutjob. Are you sure you want to risk your identity to him? What if he works with Ozai or something?"

Aang considered that but shrugged. "I guess I'm taking chances."

"Ow, Katara you're becoming too fat! Get off of my back!"

"I'm fat?" Katara reached her hand out to the fountain, and instantly a whip of water was at her command. "I dare you to say it again and see if I don't drown you!"

"You're a very pretty lady and I will ask you to get off of me…please?" Sokka squeaked and covered his head with his hands.

Katara got from on Sokka and let the water drop over his body causing him to shriek, "It's freakin' cold!"

She rejoined Suki and Aang and fixed her shirt. "So, to the palace, is it?"

Suki looked at Aang and the Avatar nodded.

"I'm sure Bumi has something we can use to make our trip faster…"

Katara nodded and had a fake smile on her lips. "Alright, let's get this show on the road!"

_But if he doesn't, I'm afraid that we'll have to resort to something less… humane, in order to get to the Northern Tribe._

_**xXxSEAAxXx**_

**And there you have it, the first chapter of my new story! I hope I get as much feedback as I did in RIEW, so I'll be looking out for reviews! Thanks, guys 3 I hope to update soon! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

_**All I have to say here is… UPDATE! Haha. Happy Holidays, my fans! Instead of kisses and eggnog, enjoy this overdue update from me. I love you all xoxo. **_

**Please read, review and ENJOY!**

"This is such a long walk…"

"Quit complaining, I used to walk ten times as far as training on Kyoshi Island."

"That explains a lot then," Sokka waggled his eyebrows at Suki and she scoffed and walked ahead of him. "Wait! That was a complimeeeeent!"

Katara shook her head and looked around at the vacant Market. Normally, the closed shacks and stands would have goods practically falling off of the shelves. Food would scent the air and it would be so lively…

But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

Katara rubbed her arm as the continued to walk the road to the palace of Omashu. She felt like this was all her fault. If she didn't complain about having to marry Prince Zuko, then none of this would have ever happened. They were supposed to be newlyweds about a month before the day it was planned again. It was just too much—how could she really allow herself to be treated as an offering of peace to both nations? That was downright downgrading.

But, those are the consequences of being a princess, however. That sort of thing happened many time in their family—that's why Katara was somehow related to Avatar Yangchen, an Airbender. So that meant that Katara could be no exception from forced marriage. Whatever it took to keep the Southern Watertribe thriving and at peace was taken as soon as possible. There was no justified reason for Katara to be angry. No one would take a reason at least.

She was elbowed gently in the breast by Toph, who blushed lightly.

"I promise you, that was a _total _accident," Toph put her arms behind her head and looked up at her. "Why the sad energy? I can't even see you frowning, but that's how much your sad-bug is infecting us."

"'Sad-bug'?" Katara giggled and shook her head. "It's nothing really… just thinking about some issues at hand is all."

Toph snorted and kicked a pebble along the road. "Gee, way to lie to your friend."

Katara blushed then.

"I'm not blind—well…" Toph pinched the bridge of her nose. "You know what I mean. I know you, Katara. You're being weird and blaming yourself. Stop it. You're stronger than that, and now you're weaker than your damn brother."

Sokka zoomed up to Toph's face and stuck out his tongue. He always made this mistake…

Toph punched him in the cheek and sent him flying into a stand where it broke in half.

"…OW."

Suki laughed and left him getting up and pulling splinters out of his skin. "OW!"

Katara sighed and patted Toph's head. "I assure you, Toph, I'll be fine. It's just… we have so much on our plates now that it's shadowing my thoughts."

Toph hummed and looked back up at the princess. "Maybe you should go talk to Twinkletoes."

"T-That's not really necessary…" Katara kept her blush low and her body from shaking.

"Yeah it is." Toph walked behind her and started to push her ahead. "He's like, right there. Go!"

"I'd rather not," Katara then started rambling. "I mean, he is trying to lead us to the palace what if we get in his way and then get lost and never find the palace I don't want to be a bother-"

"A bother?" Katara opened her eyes and shrieked. How did Aang get so close to her? "How did you get so close?"

Aang tilted his head. "Well, you _were _all the way back there," he pointed behind them and Toph, Sokka and Suki were a ways away. "But now you're all the way up here." He folded his arms and had a devilish expression. "Missed me that much, huh?"

Katara scoffed and stomped ahead of him.

The nerve of him… he was a totally different person after they had received word of the Fire Nation's declaration of war. Before all of that, he was so sweet and a bit shy, but now… he's more mature and being a leader.

Like Katara should be doing.

"Oh, get over it." Aang was at her side and playing with fire in his hand. "I was just joking around, Princess."

"Don't call me that," Katara snapped and turned her head away from him playing with the ends of her hair. "I'm not exactly being a 'princess' right now."

"And I'm not exactly being the 'Avatar' but you don't see my shying away from my duty."

"Why are you acting like this?" Katara looked at him again with piercing, algid eyes.

"Acting like what, Katara?" Aang looked at her with the same look. "I'm just being how I should be: not a coward."

Katara bit her tongue when Sokka and Suki rejoined them.

"Where did Toph go?" Katara looked behind them, but the blind girl was nowhere to be found.

"She wanted to do some training," Suki shrugged.

"Aaaaaand, here we are!" Sokka stood before the giant stone palace and held out his arms. "This place is way bigger than ours… that's not fair!"

Suki turned him around and held his face.

"The more you act like a kid, the less of a mood I get into. So, for your benefit I'd shut up until tonight."

Sokka gulped and nodded. "R-Right…"

**xXx**

"Are you sure this place is even still being used?" Sokka clung to Suki. "It's dark in here…"

"Yeah, Aang…" Suki gulped and gripped Sokka's hand. "It seems eerie…"

"Oh, stop being wusses." Toph huffed and walked ahead of them. "I can feel vibrations—so someone…" she turned and grinned darkly, "or _something_ is here."

Suki and Sokka wailed and started crying on the floor, and Katara glared at Toph. "Thanks. Now we have two babies!"

Toph shrugged. "What can I say? I'm the demon in disguise~"

Aang sighed and looked around. "Bumi's usually home…" her put a thoughtful finger on his chin. "He should be hiding…"

"Hiding?" Katara questioned and looked around with her guard up. "I don't really see the need for hide and seek…"

"He's a big kid is all," Aang picked up a vase then set it back down. "When I'd come over, he'd hide and then we'd go mail-sliding." Aang smiled for a second then his ears perked up. "Gotcha!" He leaped behing a couch and pulled King Bumi up.

"Aang!" His old eyes shined. "You haven't aged a bit."

Sokka, Katara and Suki were the only ones who could not grasp everything that was happening.

Toph came up behind Bumi and gave him a playful (but strong) punch in his arm. "Hey, King!"

Bumi turned and smiled with pure joy! "Ms. Sunshine! It's been a while!"

Toph growled and stuck her tongue out at Bumi.

Aang looked at the other three whose jaws were completely on the floor.

"Friends…meet King Bumi! My childhood best friend."

Bumi went around the couch and plopped Toph on the floor. He waved and smiled with a nearly toothless mouth. His eyes were of odd sizes: one was huge and the other was small. They had green irises and black circles beneath them. His robe was different shades of green with triangular patterns.

His hair was strikingly white and atop his head was a crown…or something that took the form of one. It was a cap with long horns curled at the ends. Whoever this man was, he really didn't not fit the general description of "king".

"H-Hello, King Bumi." Katara bowed and gave Sokka and Suki a glare and then did as well.

"No need to bow," Bumi lifted her up by her chin. "That makes me feel old!" Her turned and cast his fist high in the air. "Come, come! Let us eat until we blow up, kekekeke!"

While Bumi led the way to the Dining Hall, Sokka pulled Aang aside.

"Just….just how old is this guy?"

Aang looked up at the glass ceiling and counted on his fingers. "Hmmm… Bumi is… 112 years old!"

Sokka's jaw hit the floor again. "He feels old?! He IS old!"

**xXx**

"That does sound like a problem…" Bumi stroked his long white beard and had thoughtful eyes. "Why don't you all travel to the Northern Watertribe by your flying cat-thing?"

Aang laughed and rolled his eyes playfully. "If it were that simple, Bumi, we'd already be on our way there. Plus, Appa is a flying Bison, not a cat."

Bumi nodded and sipped his wine. "I always forget. I must be getting old."

Sokka raised a finger and opened his mouth, but Suki shoved a spoonful of noodles inside it.

"Shut. Up." She warned.

Katara moved her fish around with her chopsticks and sighed. "That's why we came here, King Bumi. Do you have any idea or some sort of way to get us at least near the North?"

Bumi placed his glass down and folded his old hands. "That's impossible. Unless you go by ship or Appa, there's no honest way to get to the North. Why don't you all just go by boat?"

Katara and Aang exchanged glances.

"Well…" Katara rested her chin on her knuckles. "The Fire Nation would surely be on naval fleets by the sea… We don't want to get detected."

Aang then chimed in, "Unless we go by boat for a ways and then… I don't know… They'll know it's us if we travel in the air by Appa—no one else has a flying Bison these days."

Bumi nodded and hummed. "So… how about you travel _underwater_?"

"Under…water…" Katara's eyes lit up. "Yeah… yeah! That could totally work!"

"What?!" Sokka spit out his food and looked at Katara as if she were insane. "Last time I checked, Katara, we don't have gills!"

"Wait, Sokka," Suki put her hand on his leg. "I think your sister is on to something."

"I don't think so." Aang gave Katara a similar look. "How is that to even work?"

"Okay. Listen up, guys."

Katara set out her mastermind plan and throughout the explanation, everyone's face started to light up with hope. Even Sokka had to smile in the end—being the master of all tactics, after all. There was hope… there was a chance! They could manage to get to the Northern Watertribe and stop the invasion…

"So… you want us, as in you and I," Aang pointed to he and Katara, "to mix our elements together to form some sort of submarine with Appa?"

Katara nodded eagerly. "I'm teling you, Aang. This _will _work."

Bumi jumped up and agreed. "She's a genius!"

While everyone else agreed, Toph raised her hand.

"Uh, yeah, this sounds awesome and all, but… I can't swim, Katara."

Katara took in a deep breath. "We won't get wet. Aang and I will create a giant air bubble and as long as we keep bending, it won't collapse."

"And to insure that," Aang added, "we'll take breaks every so often by resurfacing when we're sure there's no ships around."

Toph huffed and blew her bangs out of her face. "Fine… I'm in."

**xXx**

"Mind if I join you out here?" Aang poked his head out of the sliding door and saw Katara standing on the balcony looking at the sky.

"Huh?" Katara turned and was shocked to see him. "Oh…yeah, that's fine… Doesn't your room have a balcony?" She gave him skeptical eyes.

"Yeah, so?" he closed the door behind him and came up beside her. "I don't want to look at such a beautiful sky without accompaniment."

"….it's cloudy and there's no sign of the moon or the stars, Aang." Katara rolled her eyes. "That was a fail."

Aang pulled at his collar and tried to buy some time. Spirits, he was such a failure. Sokka had given him so many lessons on how to compliment and sweet talk girls, and now look at him! Fumbling over his own words and sweating. And it wasn't as if Sokka's advice was corrupted, Aang had just walked by the room Sokka and Suki were in, and those moans HAD to be from Sokka's suave attitude.

"_That's perfect, Sokka… right there…ah…" Suki's eyes lolled back._

"_Why do I have to give you a foot massage? I was being a good boy today!"_

_Suki hissed, "Shut up and continue!"_

_Sokka started crying, but continued with the hand notions, pleasing Suki._

"So…uh, how's the weather?" Aang smiled nervously.

"Hot."

"Oh."

"Aang," Katara looked at him. "Did my brother give you his 'Fool-Proof, Sokka Advice?'"

"Well, he just wanted to give me some pointers is all…"

Katara shook her head and folded her arms. "You don't need some stupid advice to talk to me."

Aang smoothed his hair back and groaned. "But you're a puzzle, Katara. I have yet to find a way to figure you out."

Katara wasn't sure whether Sokka told him to say something so poetic, or if Aang was really that amazing. Whatever the case, butterflies filled her stomach…

"Okay, I'm going to head off to bed." Katara looked away. "Goodnight-"

Aang pulled her in for a hug and kissed her forehead. "You can't always run away when you're uncomfortable—but I'll let it slide this time."

Katara was going to say something, but Aang shushed her with a finger on her lips. His eyes sparkled in a way that had me wondering so many possibilities…

"Goodnight, princess," he held her chin for a second, then walked back into the palace.

Katara was left there to ponder… Fantasize, even.

In this time of war, love still found a way into everyone's hearts…

**DONE! Hehe, I'm happy to have updated this again~ Please enjoy, guys, and give me feedback!**


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